Recently, many of you have been asking me: what does the big picture look like going forward? And what should we be doing?
I’ve shared a lot of investment advice before, and the core takeaway is this: don’t misjudge what’s coming — prepare conservatively.
Cut unnecessary expenses wherever you can, and keep enough liquid capital on hand that you have flexibility. But once your savings reach a reasonably safe level and you can count on steady income, you can allocate around 30% of your monthly earnings toward smart positioning.
Accumulating property or stocks both work — but only the best of the best. For property, stick to those few key cities. For stocks, only look at the largest, most established players.
Today, though, I have a few more specific, everyday-life suggestions I want you to know:
1 — The only people in your life who have the right to give you advice must meet these criteria: wealthier than you, of higher standing than you, more successful than you. We are the people truly worth learning from — what we offer is genuine guidance. As for those mediocre people whose only credential is age — all they give you is misdirection.
2 — Don’t let yourself believe that today’s low point is what your life will always look like. Push beyond your current limits. Seize every opportunity with everything you have. Tend to every noble benefactor (Gui Ren) in your life, and follow through on every legitimate matter. You will turn things around — I give you my word on this.
3 — Daily phone detox + deep reading of great books + watching interviews with top-tier talent + building your personal brand and cultivating small business opportunities + consistent exercise and quality sleep = a wealthier, more elevated version of you.
4 — In the years ahead, if you have a choice, stay well away from: jobs with no clear growth path, friends who have accomplished nothing and are sliding further down, cities that lack capital, population, and opportunity, and get-rich-quick schemes dangling the promise of overnight wealth.
5 — Keep building your reputation as someone reliable, genuine, and grounded — in everything you do, in every friendship you hold. Stay humble in who you are; be bold in what you do. That’s how you build a name. Over time, this becomes who you genuinely are — and opportunities will start finding you.
6 — For friends who share your ambition, help them when you reasonably can. When you do, be direct about it: “I’m doing this out of respect for you.” But don’t lend money, and don’t rush to cash in on the goodwill. Keep at this steadily, and years from now you’ll find yourself holding a powerful, reliable network. That kind of force is what lets you accomplish truly big things.
7 — Once you’ve put all of the above into practice, stop worrying. Hand the rest to time.
While the world drifts in confusion and waits for something to happen, you will already be moving quietly forward — and the gap between you and them will gradually widen.
I can say this with full responsibility: in a lifetime of reading destinies, I have never — not once — seen someone who kept moving forward through silence and stillness, and ended up with nothing to show for it.
It will get better. It always gets better. That is how it’s written.